Technically this was the first ever NBA Combine and it just concluded yesterday and the ability tests have been released. Nothing all too shocking, except Hasheem Thabeet didn’t test, which was strange.

I think the two that did the most for themselves were Stephen Curry and James Harden. I’m beginning to turn and find my way to the Curry bandwagon. He’s a much better athlete than I anticipated and he’s polished in every way. A 35.5-inch vertical, good agility numbers and nice speed results. Plus he’s smart, can shoot and… can shoot. I like him more and more.

And I think Harden put to bed some of those “subpar athlete” criticisms. Maybe it was the baggy t-shirt he wore in college that tagged him with that stereotype. He had an excellent vertical and tested well in everything else, especially the strength numbers (he benched 185 17 times – one of the top numbers at the camp).

On the flip side, I really don’t know why Hasheem Thabeet would turn down athletic testing. I feel like someone just knocked on my door and handed me a red flag. And I just took it to my Thabeet closet and tossed it in there with my other 50 red flags. Only one other player refused testing and that was Demarre Carroll. Even Blake Griffin, who doesn’t have to do anything and is still going No. 1, tested. I don’t know if Thabeet is trying to hide a 7-inch vertical or maybe mask the fact Jim Traber in high heels is faster than him. I have no clue. But the whole thing stinks.

How about Jonny Flynn and his 40-inch vertical? And Wayne Ellington wasn’t bad with his 38-inch one either. DeMar DeRozen who is evidently able to jump and touch the moon, checked in with a 38.5-inch vert. Blake Griffin had a 35.5-inch vertical, but his no-step vert was 32 inches, good for third of all the people at the combine. That really shows you his explosion. He gets up faster than anybody. That’s what makes him such a monster on the boards.

My mind hasn’t been totally changed on anything just based on some numbers, but I do think you can put a lot more stock into the NBA Combine than the NFL Combine. In the NBA, you actually use the skills you’re tested on during actual gameplay. You actually run, jump and move side-to-side. In the NFL, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a player broad jump his way into the endzone. So these numbers have weight and help to clear the picture a bit.

Sean Deveney still has OKC taking Hasheem Thabeet (I think he’s the only one), had this to say about James Harden: “James Harden, Arizona State. Harden is approaching this draft as if he is a top-five pick. And he might be. Certainly, word has spread that the Thunder will take him at No. 3 or the Wizards at No. 5. That feels like smokescreen information, though. Given the fact that the Wizards could trade their pick, and that Oklahoma City, too, is weighing its trading options, it seems that Harden would be wise to work out for some fallback teams later in the lottery.”

Hey guess what? A mock draft!: “Oklahoma City Thunder – James Harden: Many had Harden a lot lower than what I picked but James Harden is the goods. The Thunder are quite pleased with the way Westbrook has developed at the PG position and to under cut him by drafting another PG would just mess everything up (look for them to sign a free agent to play back up) Harden gives the Thunder options at shooting guard, he can score, he can handle the ball and he can create. I can also see Harden handling the ball for extended periods of time as his career continues, kind of reminds me of a shorter Paul Pierce.”

The Blazers are eyeing Stephen Curry: “Don’t be surprised if the Portland Trail Blazers trade into the lottery, looking to acquire Davidson’s Stephen Curry. The way I hear it, the Blazers (currently picking 24th) are nosing around to trade up and have Curry in their sights. Enough teams are willing to deal down that this is a real possibility. And it would be great for Curry in this regard: A long-time NBA scout told me months ago that the ideal situation for Curry is to play point guard on a team with a shooting guard who can also handle the ball. That would allow Curry to spot up some, and maximize the impact of his shooting.” Keep Reading…

I know that right now, actual basketball being played on an actual court with actual NBA players is probably pretty far back in Thunder fans’ minds. I think the Thunder fan thought flow right now goes: “Draft-Draft-James Harden-Ricky Rubio-Food–Work–Draft-Sleep-Trades-Food-Draft-NBA Finals-Hasheem Thabeet.” Or something like that.

But the truth is, the Finals are what we all want. I may be totally crazy here, but I’d much rather have won a title than won the lottery. Heck, I’d rather have gotten swept in the Western quarterfinals than been in the lottery. But that’s me. I’d rather be playing than watching and wishing. The Finals are the reason we all care so much about free agency and the draft. Because you know, we want players that can help us get there.

Anyway, so with the Finals starting this week and I was thinking: What can Thunder fans and/or players take out of this? Here’s five things:

1. A superstar is needed, but the other four guys are just as important. Watch the way the Lakers maneuver with Kobe Bryant. He’s the unquestioned MAN of that team, but there’s a reason they are here and the Cavs are not. Those reasons are Andrew Bynum, Trevor Ariza, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. Kevin Durant is already a fantastic – I say FANTASTIC – player, but he can’t do it on his own. Nor could Russell Westbrook or Jeff Green. It’s got to be five guys working as one. Or at least three or four. Kobe doesn’t have to take every shot. He’s perfectly content scoring 18 on 6-11 shooting. He just waits and strikes when needed. Nobody does it better.

I remember some of my favorite basketball the Thunder played this season was while KD was out (don’t read anything into that). The team swung the ball side-to-side, made crisp cuts and moved the ball everywhere. It was beautiful basketball. They didn’t have the out of KD standing on the wing. They couldn’t just toss it to him and hope for the best. They all had to contribute. That’s the type of basketball is really takes to win, but insert a superstar player into the middle of it and you’ve got something special. It’s harder to figure out than you think though. The Magic understand Dwight Howard’s abilities and deficiencies and adjust accordingly. Same with the Lakers. You have to understand how everything works around your best player. Both these squads have that figured out pretty well. Keep Reading…

I don’t mean to impart on my own personal tastes on you fine people, but today my favorite band, Dave Matthews Band, releases a new album – Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. And that’s not something that happens all that often either. I’m sure some people hate DMB and that’s fine – we all have our tastes. I’ve seen DMB 11 times and so it’s safe to say I enjoy their work. And I’m stoked about the new album, so if you don’t like it, soo-oorrrrry.

Malik Rose says the Thunder needs some nastiness: “On the flip side, practices were too fun. A little elbow or a little fight here or there in practice, being physical, pushing and shoving is good. But when you step off the court, it’s great to get back to being best friends, being close, hanging out and joking.” Some call it grit. During this year’s NBA playoffs, “nastiness” was a term used to describe the Houston Rockets’ and Denver Nuggets’ ability to go toe-to-toe with the highly favored Los Angeles Lakers. Call it what you want, but Rose, who won two NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs, said developing toughness is essential.”

Designs for the Thunder’s new scoreboard were released and let me tell you – awesome. Just awesome. I don’t know if I’m more excited about next season because of the team, or because I get to see the new scoreboard: “It weighs 46,000 pounds, is 31 feet tall and 35 feet wide and features a dozen video panels as well as an LED ring. Indeed, the new Ford Center scoreboard will be one of the biggest and best in the NBA. After months of research, backing from Oklahoma City taxpayers and the underlying goal of upgrading the fan’s in-game experience, the Thunder on Monday unveiled designs for its new $3.9 million scoreboard that will be one of the leading scoreboards in NBA and NHL arenas.”

Stephen Curry with Sporting News: “CL: What can you tell me about your interviews? Who wanted to talk to you? Who did you want to talk to? SC: I had teams like Houston, Washington and Oklahoma City; teams in need of a point guard. Of course the New York teams were there. A lot of teams that are planning to trade up and move up in the lottery wanted to talk to me to see how I felt about their team. Of the 14 teams, they’re all equally excited to get to know me a bit.” Keep Reading…

The 66ers are suing the arena that they played in last year: “The ownership group of the 66ers — a minor league professional basketball team affiliated with the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder — has filed a lawsuit in Tulsa County District Court against Home Ventures Inc., the SpiritBank Event Center’s owner and operator. The 66ers’ ownership group is led by Clay Bennett, who also owns the Thunder. The 66ers played one basketball season, 2008-09, in the Bixby arena but will have a new home next year. The 66ers claim that the SpiritBank center’s ownership group, led by President Tim Remy, owes more than $100,000 and hasn’t paid anything to the professional basketball franchise during its one year as a tenant in the arena. The 66ers seek more than $200,000 in compensatory damages.”

Evidently, the Thunder likes Ricky Rubio – shocking, I know: “What, then, will the Oklahoma City Thunder do with the third overall pick? The buzz being sent out by the team is that they might go shooting guard, and names like James Harden and DeMar DeRozan have been thrown out there for the media to feast upon. Yet while we’ve been in Chicago catching up with anyone and everyone in the NBA, we’ve learned that the Thunder are actually very seriously considering taking Ricky Rubio with the #3 and moving Russell Westbrook, who is a Brandon Roy type of point guard, over to his more natural position off the ball. Keep in mind that this is the time of misdirection and distraction. NBA general managers don’t want anyone to know who they really like, as that knowledge empowers a team above them to out-maneuver them by taking their player and then offering to trade him down for a lower pick and an additional asset. Most of the teams are just starting to truly understand who these players are, and this year more than any other in recent memory we’ll see June workouts influence who teams ultimately choose at the draft. If the draft were today, however, we’re assured that the Thunder would most likely go with Rubio, improving what is already the best young nucleus in the NBA.”

OKC likes Steph Curry a lot too, supposedly: “Oklahoma City has a Stephen Curry fixation. The Thunder attended all of Curry’s home games at Davidson this past season and is looking at him as a potential shooting guard. But they’ll almost certainly move down from the No. 3 pick if they decide to take him. Scouts are not only high on Curry’s shooting, but also think he can make players better around him. “When you look at that Davidson team, they barely had any other Division I players,” said one scout.” Keep Reading…

I’ve been watching the Orlando Magic now with some curiosity. I love the way they play. I’ve often thought that their style of play might produce a lot of wins during the regular season, but flame out in the playoffs. They have great fundamentals on both offense and defense, but they rely so heavily on the three point shot that I suspected the great defense of Boston (pre-Garnett injury) and Cleveland might force them out of their sets and the shots might not fall. But Orlando did a great job of doing what they do, and not letting their opponent derail them. I usually like the underdog, and I was glad to see them put away Cleveland and put an end to the Kobe/Lebron love-fest.

In so many ways the Magic are the anti-Thunder of 2008-2009. First, they have a Superman in the middle, and we have some Clark Kents. Not scrubs, but certainly not able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Secondly, their unbelievable reliance on the three ball, third, efficient offense despite the heavy three ball, and fourth, great perimeter defense backed up by said Superman. Keep Reading…

Since the NBA Finals are right around the corner and we’ve gotten to the really, really good part of the playoffs, I caught myself watching lots of old playoff footage. And nothing brings me back to being 11 years old quite like this video. I can just picture my older brother Cody and I sitting in front of the TV in our Jordan jerseys, ready and waiting for the game to start. Then the lights go out, the Alan Parsons Project comes on and that iconic announcer voice blares over the PA. You know a team’s intro is good when the channel broadcasting the game forgoes commercials (and money) to air it. Ah, brings me back. Reminds me of why I like this game so much in the first place.

Really all you see streaking up the court is the hair. At least, it’s the first thing you notice. And to many, they see the hair, the flash and the crafty plays and they see someone else. Something bigger. They see something that makes them nickname this guy LaPistola. That’s right, the Spanish Pistol Pete, Ricky Rubio.

Rubio dashes across halfcourt and busts out his signature play, the fake-behind-the-back-wrap-around. It’s truly a fantastic play that not only brings you to your feet and makes you start clapping out of pure reaction, but also a slick play that helped score two points. But best of all, it’s sexy. It’s flashy. It just looks awesome. And because of plays like that, we’re lured into this young prospect and we don’t even really know why. We watch the mixtapes with the no-look lobs, the between-the-legs dishes and the behind-the-back-wrap-arounds. For the same reason people like And 1 Mixtapes, they like Ricky Rubio. He epitomizes the beauty of basketball. Nothing showcases how breathtaking the game can be like a perfectly executed pass. And because of this, we’ve fallen for this guy, yet we don’t really even know anything about him.

Driving home from the draft lottery late Tuesday I was a little overwhelmed by one thought:

I don’t know enough about Ricky Rubio. I must have heard 100 smart people sing his praises that night. He’s the one player with real buzz. A guard who is almost unassailed as the second best prospect in the 2009 NBA draft.

But what does he do? What are his NBA skills? On what basis do we believe he’s a truly special basketball player? Is he really good enough that he can be picked high without even working out against his contemporaries? What could I see Ricky Rubio do that would make clear how it is he’s a better bet than Brandon Jennings, Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson, Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Darren Collison, Patrick Mills, Nick Calathes, Eric Maynor, Sergio Llull, A.J. Price, Nando de Colo and the like?

At the lottery, everybody said the same admiring things about his feel for the game, handle, vision, leadership … but sometimes these ideas leap from mind to mind without ever touching ground. I found myself looking around the room and wondering: How much have you even seen Rubio play? What kind of vetting has he had?

“Speaking of Rubio, I encountered a number of NBA GMs and scouts this week who were pretty skeptical about Rubio’s NBA future. They see him as an average athlete who can’t shoot well and who is turnover prone, and wonder aloud why he’s ranked so high.

A few GMs said Rubio isn’t in their top five. While I’ve heard doubts expressed before, the skepticism was expressed much more strongly this week by more execs. I’m going to keep digging. Maybe Henry Abbott struck a chord with his TrueHoop post on Rubio.

In any case, if Memphis and Oklahoma City decide against Rubio and don’t trade either of their picks to a team that wants to move up to get him, it’s hard to see the Sacramento Kings passing on Rubio at No. 4.”

Well then. You have to wonder how much of this is posturing. Maybe Donnie Walsh is saying this because he’s praying Rubio will drop all the way down to him. Maybe Geoff Petrie is running around saying, “Nah, he’s not that good. Seriously guys, he can’t even shoot!” but is lighting Spanish vigils each night before he goes to bed. You can never tell with these guys. They’re all playing the game and they all want their guy. So it may mean nothing and in fact, it probably does mean nothing. Keep Reading…